What's In A Name
The Hebrew language always fascinates me with the way it breathes new meaning into old stories, making them new. For the past day or so, the Lord has had me in the early chapters of Genesis. Originally the lesson was on the Hebrew word for "name" being "shem." And how in Hebrew there's the understanding that it isn't just what someone is called, it's a "one word summation of the totality of a person" to quote Chad Bird. In Hebrew thought it was also about prophecy and how whenever a child was given a name, it would reflect their parent's hopes for the child's nature and future destiny. It's interesting the name Noah chose to give his eldest son, was simply "Shem" who was the progenitor of the Semitic people from whom God's chosen people came. Strong's says the name "Shem" is "often associated with the concept of "renown," reflecting the importance of legacy and reputation in biblical narratives."
Today my Chad Bird devotion took me back to this section of Genesis, specifically verse four where I read, "...when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown (shem)."
Yesterday was my birthday and the hubs bought me a new Bible. The notes at the bottom of my page say that some scholars believe these "sons of God" and "daughters of man" are the intermarrying of the lines of Seth and Cain. Looking back to Genesis 4 and 5 we see a clear distinction of character between these two lineages. The genealogy of Cain ends with his Lamech committing murder and then bragging about it (Gen 4:23-24) but Seth's line leads to a Lamech who fathers a son and names him Noah, as a prayer to God, saying let this be the one that gives us rest from our toil and lament. Noah comes from the root nuach (נוּחַ) which means "to rest" or "to comfort".
The Bible is full of contrasting elements: Light/dark, clean/unclean, proud/humble, abundance/lack, good/evil. Here we see Noah was from the line of Seth whose descendants "called on the name of the LORD" (Gen 4:26) and "walked with God" (Gen 5:22 &24) as did Noah himself (Gen 6:9).
Genesis 6:4 is where we read of these "mighty men of renown" and immediately its followed with verse 5 that says, "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Contrasted with what it says of Noah in Genesis 9-10 "These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.
It's interesting how we see this contrast beautifully portrayed in the beginning verses of Psalm 112
"Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed."
Yesterday, I came across a profound rabbinic teaching from Beinish Ginsburg on the fact that it says, "These are the generations of Noah: Noah..." He infers that it was worded in this way to teach us that you are your most important descendent! Before you can raise children and grandchildren, you need to raise yourself, work on yourself.
If the scholars' theory mentioned earlier from my new study Bible is true, this issue of intermarriage with those who are not committed to God would continue and still exists. We see its detrimental effects in the life of Samson and Solomon, the scribe Ezra upon realizing the returning exiles had fallen into this same sin, quickly implemented a reform of the nation by declaring a mass divorce. Paul addresses Christians in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 telling them not to be "unequally yoked" and I have seen these effects in my own life, with trajectory of my own children's faith. (I'll address this again later).
Researching online these few verses led me to an article that mentions another theory about the "sons of God" and "daughters of man". Rabbi Ismael, a late 1st, early 2nd century sage of the Mishnaic period, proposed these "sons of God" were actually humans elevated by their status and the midrash describes them as judges who abused their power, taking women by force. This source also gives credit to the theory mentioned in my study Bible to the Medieval Jewish scholar, Rashi.
Another verse that stood out to me today was Genesis 6:6, "And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart."
The Hebrew word translated here as "regretted" is nacham (נָחַם) and it carries the idea of strong breathing as in a sigh. It can mean to be sorry, to pity, console, rue, to avenge
This reminded me of Jesus's reaction in John 11:38 where it says he was "moved deeply" from the Greek word embrimaomai (ἐμβριμάομαι). This verb is described as a snort communicating displeasure, anger, indignation.
There is no exact Hebrew corresponding word, but Strong's suggests it is similar to the verb anach (אָנַח) used in Ezekiel 21:6 "As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes." If you continue reading, this verse surely mirrors God's justice in dealing with mankind in the flood account and how He will surely deal with the remaining hard, rebellious hearts at the end of days.
Something I learned today (5.02.2025) from my Chad Bird, Unveiling Mercy, devotion that needed to come here and edit my post to add was that in Hebrew the word for anger is aph (אַף) and it is defined as: anger, nostril, face. And can mean: the nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire
The first time "aph" is used is in Gen 2:7 where it says God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life"
- Genesis 2:7 – Aph first appears when God breathes life into Adam’s nostrils.
- Genesis 6:6 – Nacham is used when God "regrets" creating humanity, showing an emotional shift.
- Exodus 32:12 – Nacham is used when Moses pleads for God to "relent" from His anger (aph).
- John 11:33 - Embrimaomai is used when Jesus is "deeply moved" by Lazarus' death.
This suggests that divine emotion—whether wrath, indignation or mercy—is often expressed through breath-related imagery in both the Hebrew and Greek.
Looking at the Hebrew word translated in verse 6 as "grieved" we get the sense what God was feeling wasn't just sorrow. It carried the idea of frustration. The verb atsab (עָצַב) can mean to grieve, to hurt, to pain, but also to vex.
While studying the Hebrew word nacham (נָחַם), I learned it's the same word used in Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
The idea of regret and remorse being the same word for comfort is a bit paradoxical, while at the same time is exactly what I have experienced in my relationship with the Lord. I can see exactly where His rod has convicted, disciplined, "wounded" me, and it has also comforted me. It's a comfort to know my Shepherd can use that same rod against any enemy that would attack. He can use the crook of that staff to hook me and pull me to safety. He can use it on me when I try to defy Him in stupid hardheaded/hearted rebellion, reminding me He knows best.
Whenever His Spirit has convicted me to the point of deep grief and remorse (like about my own past actions that have had a hand in my children's lack of faith), His Word also brings hope that He redeems and He pursues and His Spirit brings comfort, like nothing I've experienced elsewhere.
These verses describe what I have experienced to be true:
- "For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal." Job 5:18
- "Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds." Hosea 6:1
- "Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men." Lamentations 3:32-33
- "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your word gives me life." Psalm 119:50
He also knows all things. He sees deep inside us and knows us each individually, better than we even know ourselves. He knows the intentions of our hearts, and whenever the earth was full of humanity that only thought evil continually, except for one man, and by extension, this man's family, in order to preserve this one family, those who would never repent, were wiped from the face of the earth.
This post from Hebrew for Christians on FB this morning (5.02.2025) seems to address this perfectly.
Reading this verse in context of being depraved to the point of continual evil thoughts, I'm reminded of the way Paul often uses that word: flesh.
Romans 8 for example:
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
Or Galatians 5:16-17
"So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want."
Another interesting thing to mention how this is translated in the ESV “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” Apparently, there is some ambiguity in the original Hebrew as in this form, this is the only instance its used. The ESV translates it as "abide" other translations use "contend" or "put up with" or similarly "strive" There is also differing thoughts on whether the 120 years means that human life would no longer continue into the hundreds of years, but rather only 120 years, as we read with Moses (Duet 34:7) or the countdown to the flood was 120 years. I lean towards the translation of "contend" and the understanding that the countdown to the flood is now 120 years. Because as you read on into Chapter 11 and the genealogy of Shem many of them lived 200-400 years and even older.
Speaking of life spans and remembering what I mentioned earlier about how names were a form of prophecy. There is some intriguing information we can glean from the genealogy information given in Genesis 5.
Earlier, I mentioned how names carried meaning and prophecy. We see that with Noah's grandfather. His name was Methuselah. His name is derived from the Hebrew roots מוּת (muth, meaning "death") and שֶׁלַח (shelach, meaning "to send" or "to bring"). Meaning: His death will bring.
According to Genesis 7:6 We know that Noah was 600 years old whenever the flood came.
Genesis 5:30-31 says, "Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died." 600-595=5
So, Lamech died 5 years before the flood.
Genesis 5:25-27 says "When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died."
So, if Methuselah lived 782 years after Lamech was born. And Lamech only lived to be 777. And the flood happened 5 years later. 777+5=782 Methuselah's death brought the flood.
Also, in Hebrew the pictographic meaning of the name Noah (נֹחַ, Noach) in ancient Hebrew script is deeply tied to themes of rest, life, and continuation.
- Nun (נ) – Originally depicted as a sprouting seed or fish, symbolizing life, activity, and faithfulness.
- Chet (ח) – Resembles a fence or enclosure, representing protection, separation, and new beginnings.
My name, Rebecca, or Rebekah (רִבְקָה, Ribqah) comes from the Hebrew root רָבַק (ravak), meaning "to tie firmly" or "to secure."
The pictographic meaning is:
- Resh (ר) – Originally depicted as a head, symbolizing leadership, authority, or a turning point.
- Bet (ב) – Resembles a house or tent, representing dwelling, family, and covenant.
- Qof (ק) – Linked to the back of the head or horizon, symbolizing cycles, time, and divine appointment.
- Hey (ה) – Depicted as a person with raised arms, representing revelation, breath, or divine presence.
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